Tiger Lily
by Venus77
Summary: *UPDATED* Ardeth Journeys to meet his betrothed and bring her back... My first Mummy fic, so please read and review!!!
1. Part 1

A/N: Hey! This is Venus, and this is my first Mummy fic, so my only request is that you read and review, in fact, I beg you!! Please review, I would like to know what everyone thinks. I would love some constructive criticism.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own The Mummy or any of its characters. I only own Lily.. If I did, I would be a lot richer than I am. ^_^  
  
Additional notes: You know the drill with quotations and everything, the only warning I have is maybe some slight OOCness, but nothing too bad. Also, I'm sorry, Fanfiction.net does tend to mess up any and all punctuation that I do, so I've tried to compensate for it but. yeah. Sorry about that. And so with that in mind.Let's begin. I hope you like it. AND REVIEW!!! PLEASE!!!!!  
  
  
  
Tiger Lily By: Venus  
  
Ardeth Bay flipped the pendent he was holding over and over, studying it though he was not looking at it. It was small, about a centimeter in diameter, and grubby silver. There was writing on it, but what it said he did not know. He was given the pendent when he was 13 years old, the day he became a man. the very same day he received his markings. It was to show that he was now betrothed, that he had a future wife.  
  
When given the pendent, he scoffed it as though his twenty-first birthday would never come. Surely he would never grow to be that old? His 13 year old mind simply could not comprehend what exactly he had been given. But now, on the eve of his twenty-fifth birthday, he knew. It seemed he had avoided this day all of his life. During the past few years, including his twenty-first birthday, he had been with the O'Connell's, saving the world from the wretched curse of Imhotep, yet now, he had no excuse. He should have gone years ago to claim her, yet he did not. Did he not do it because he didn't want a wife? No, Ardeth shook his head; he wanted a wife. and children. So why then did he fear to now go and claim what was rightfully his? Was he scared? Well, yes, that he could not deny; but why, was a mystery to him.  
  
He had seen the way Evelyn and Rick looked at each other, the love that their eyes held. He could not deny that he had been jealous. He wanted to be able to have a love as pure and sound as theirs, yet for some reason, he did not seek after it, even though he had a wife waiting for him so to speak.  
  
Ardeth looked at the pendent in his hand and flipped it over once again. His father had told him that he would combine it to the necklace of his future wife. That they would become one, just as the two pieces of the necklace she wore would become one. Ardeth ran his fingers along the very small writings on the blackened silver surface. There was a bow, without an arrow, but he could tell what that was, and above that, what looked like a bundle of some sort of grain. Then below those two figures were six characters of some kind of writing. He did not know what it said, or even what language it was. The only thing he knew was that it went to the back of his betroths' necklace, and to find her in the second moon of the summer season following the map of Ram sis. (Sp?) (A/N: Sorry, I just made that up, I couldn't think of anything else.)  
  
He tried to stifle a yawn as he tipped his head back and cracked his neck. It was quite obvious that he was the only one still awake in the entire camp. His candle was the only one burning and his suspicion that everyone was asleep was confirmed with the eerie silence that reigned over his thoughts. He had nothing to fear. she may reject him at first, but he hoped that she would grow to accept him. perhaps even love him. He said a silent prayer to the Gods as he blew out his candle and fell asleep, the pendent clutched tightly in his tattooed hand. He prayed that she would not hate him, and that she would help him lead his clan, as was his destiny to do.  
  
"Ardeth! Are you awake?" Ardeth turned to his side to find a beautiful woman staring back at him. As she stood, she towered above him and nudged him in the side. She spoke again, but this time the words did not fit her mouth movement and she spoke with the deep voice of a man. "Ardeth! Wake up, we have to go!" Ardeth's eyebrows nit together.  
  
Ardeth woke with a very perplexed look upon his face that made his comrade laugh. "What's the matter?" He taunted, "Not what you were expecting?"  
  
Ardeth Smiled. "Not in the least." He answered, almost relieved that it was a dream.  
  
The sun had just begun to rise over the horizon and shed its light upon the golden sands of the desert, making it seem as though it were a valley of gold. He could hear the sounds of the men getting ready to leave with him, and the women bustling around helping. They were all so good to their husbands. The Medjai (Sp?) would not have survived this long were it not for the wives of the men he led. Quickly, to cover up for his sleeping in, he got dressed and saddled up his horse. It was fortunate that he had prepared the night before. As he swung himself up onto his silver studded horse, a group of women made their way over to him.  
  
"For your betrothed, when night falls." They stated handing up to him a sheer, black, head covering and shawl. The see through nature of it would allow her to breathe, while the black would cover her up from the cold wind, biting sand and overabundant bugs. Along the seam of it, they had lovingly sewed different pendants with Medjai writing upon each. (A/N: Kind of like Evelyn's in "The Mummy" except with writing on the silver things.) It was large enough, he thought, to cover her head and her whole body at least twice. Ardeth smiled a hesitant, yet hopeful smile. At least he knew his future wife would not be cold.  
  
"Why ladies," Ardeth could not contain himself from asking, "Is it so big?"  
  
His answer was not at all comforting, and not exactly what you would want to hear just before going to get your wife. "Well," they all giggled, hesitating to tell him. "We do not know how big your wife will be." They answered, some trying to cover up their giggles, while others did not even attempt to hide their rapacious laughter. Ardeth paled slightly. They did have a very valid point.  
  
Ardeth cleared his throat. "Well, ladies, I thank you for your gift and I'm sure she will be grateful for it in the heat of the day, and the onset of night. I thank you." With that, he urged his horse to the front of the line of men and began the journey across the desert to retrieve his betrothed, late as he was.  
  
  
  
Ardeth Bay shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. They had been riding all day and it was almost sundown. Reaching up, he removed the thick piece of black cloth that covered his mouth, the sand from inside the creases of it, pouring down back onto the earth from where it came. He rubbed his face and grimaced as he felt the dirt caked to his face, scratch his tan skin. Of course they had to ride through a sand storm. He turned in his saddle and motioned for the map-bearer to come up towards him. Whispering a few choice words to the man next to him, he climbed down from his horse, his legs aching with protest. "We will rest here until the moon is over our heads, then we will continue. We should be there before morning." He instructed while the map-bearer lifted the map towards the sky and began to write upon the map, the setting sun allowing some of the stars to show their light. The stars were their guide this night, along with the full moon, which had not yet shown itself.  
  
Ardeth sighed as he lay down on the sand, the cold of night not yet robbing it of its heat. It was warm and comforting against his back, while the cool air of the desert caressed his face. He had not found relief from his nervous stomach all day, and it was only getting worse the nearer he came to getting his future wife, if she was not already claimed by someone else. Ardeth suddenly sat up, his heart thumping wildly against his chest. What if she had been claimed by someone else? He was four years late in coming to get her, so who was to say her father had not given her away to someone else? Ardeth cursed eloquently under his breath, and though his legs protested fiercely, he raced to his horse, shouting at everyone else to do the same. "The moon is nearly over our heads, we should get an early start!" He shouted, not even thinking about what he was shouting.  
  
As they moved silently in the night, Ardeth could not help but continuously pray to the Gods. Please, let her still be there! He thought urgently in his mind. He wanted his wife. Sure he was frightened about their future, and nervous about simply taking her from her clan and home, but he still wanted her. He would not run from his fear. he would not run from his destiny. A call from farther ahead of him pulled him from his silent pleas to look to the source of the call. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts; he had not even noticed that the moon was nearly four hours from setting, and the glorious sun taking its place. Riding up to where the scout was motioning for him to come, Ardeth looked down a deep slope of rack and sand to see tents scattered about the ground, a few holding lights with in their warm interiors. This is it. Ardeth Bay thought while replacing the cloth over his mouth. I can no longer run away from what I am afraid of.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: YAY!!! I was going to make it longer, but I would be a super long story so I decided to break it down into smaller parts. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! I really want to know what you think! At Least 5 reviews, ok? 


	2. Part 2

A/N: Once again here I am with the next part to Tiger Lily. YAY!!! I hope you enjoy! A special thanks to all who reviewed.  
  
Satiana: Thank you so much, here is the next part for you!  
  
Deana: Thank you for correcting me on that spelling. I knew something was wrong! ^_^. Thanks a lot!!  
  
Ruse: Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Lily. If I did. well, I don't so let's not get into that. So on with the story!!!  
  
  
  
Tiger Lily Part Two By: Venus  
  
Ardeth had not slept at all. He had been far too nervous for that. All night he had been urging the sun to rise; to rise and just get what was coming over with, and now to his horror it was. Now as the sun slowly peeked over the horizon, he found himself wishing it back down into its slumber. He had sat all night, waiting for it to make him go and do what he needed, yet now, he was begging for more time. Begging for more time to prepare and get ready. He supposed it was the irony of the situation that bothered him. He was not one to behave this way! He would just as soon go and shoot up some mummies, then confront his anxiety about picking up his wife. He was nervous that she would be gone and he would parade in there like a fool, demanding something that was not there. He sighed and pulled a dagger out of his boot, studying his image in its highly reflective, polished blade. Not sleeping very well the night before and not at all this night had certainly taken its toll. He hoped she would not mind some dark circles.  
  
Ardeth stood and cursed. Why did it matter what she would mind? Why was he being such a fool? He did not care for the affections of some woman! Or did he? Was that why he was so frightened? Was he truly that afraid of rejection? Shaking his head he replaced the dagger in his boot and went to saddle up his horse. The others were only now waking up, and a few of them were surprised to see him up, while the majority looked as though they expected as much. Ardeth suppressed a scowl. They all felt they knew what he was feeling, but he knew they didn't really know. How could they? They had all found their wives within their own clan: Ardeth on the other hand was barging into some unknown village demanding their leader's daughter! He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and continued to saddle up his magnificent black steed. By the time everyone was done with eating and the camp was packed away and destroyed, the sun was already well into the brilliant morning sky.  
  
As Ardeth swung up onto his saddle, his black robes billowing behind him, he said one last prayer as he looked down onto the village under them. He had dressed in what he considered his finest and had the pendent stowed safely in a bag on his saddle. Unbeknownst to him, the men behind him were also offering a prayer up in the name of their leader; they hadn't seen him this nervous for quite a long time. Upon his face there was always a look of confidence. A stolid glare always written upon his countenance. yet they had seen it as he looked down at the village, a small, well hidden look of doubt; of hesitation. Of course who would not be nervous to look upon the face of the woman you were promised to? The very woman who you would be spending the rest of your life with? The woman you had to rip away from her home and family? Yes, they knew very well why he was nervous.  
  
Ardeth looked nervously from side to side as his companions lined up beside him on the hill top. Below them, he saw the movements of the different people as they went about their day. Their presence had gone unnoticed for several minutes before a child, being toted behind her mother looked up and spotted the black riders, lined up menacingly above them. Ardeth heard her shouting and pointing, drawing her mothers attention to them. Seeming like the best moment, Ardeth gave the command to rush down the hill. In a flurry of sand, the black Medjai warriors plunged down the mount, their horses plummeting into the sand, making a sand storm of their own as they plodded through the thick dirt. Through the mess, Ardeth could see the woman running towards a specific tents as the rest of the villagers emerged, attracted by her cries. Reaching the bottom of the hill, Ardeth raced forwards, urging his horse to go faster. His heart was pounding in his ears and his hands gripped his reins tightly.  
  
As he neared the entrance to the village he passed many startled onlookers, their faces just a blur, for his eyes were trained ahead, where the ruler had emerged from his tent. As his horse came to a halt, it reared back, sending him high into the air mounted upon his brilliant stallion. He could see the fear in the man's eyes below him and could hear the startled gasps of people around him. He made for quite an imposing and mysterious figure.  
  
His horse landed and Ardeth ceremoniously dismounted to bow deeply to the man in brilliant colored robes in front of him. The man was old, by the looks of it nearing his seventy's. however living in the desert could be deceiving as the sun and sand tended to wrinkle ones skin before its time. He had a long gray beard, and hair to match it. Upon his shoulders was a radiant green robe, reaching clear to the scorched sand on which they stood. Ardeth looked past this and into the man's eyes to find surprised brown orbs. Well, one of them was brown; the other had a milky blue film over it, indicating the loss of sight in it. Ardeth straightened and seemingly towered above the short, old man. "I've come for the third daughter of the house of Bilhgded." (A/N: made that up too, can you tell? ^_^.)  
  
Whatever Ardeth was expecting, it certainly wasn't what he got. The old man merely looked up at him and shrugged. Ardeth tried again. It was only when the old man spoke did he realize he did not speak the language, nor even understand it. Ardeth mentally sighed and looked to the sky in defeat. Of all the languages of the desert he knew, the one his wife happened to be from, he didn't know. oh the God's surely answered his prayers.  
  
The man shook his head, seeing the predicament and looked around for something that might help. Seeing a stick, he seized it and offered it to Ardeth, indicating the sand beneath his feet. Ardeth tried not to groan. The old man wanted him to draw what he wanted? What was he supposed to do? Draw a fat man with a beard and say it was him, draw his third daughter beneath him, then draw himself taking away his daughter in the sand? Oh sure! That would go over really well! Ardeth could not help but curse. Part of him felt like grabbing the stick and breaking it in two! The old man offered him the stick with a reassuring smile. Ardeth pushed the stick away. Suddenly as though lightning had hit, he remembered the pendent. Reaching into the bag secured to his belt, he withdrew from it the tiny silver necklace back, the blackened silver reflecting in the sunlight bouncing off its surface.  
  
Immediately, upon seeing the pendent, the old mans eyes brightened and without any warning he swept Ardeth Bay into a bone crushing hug. The old man, once reluctant to speak was now chattering a mile a minute, Ardeth crushed to his side, trying to retain whatever dignity he had left. He had no idea what the old man was singing about, but the sound of it only made his heart lighten with relief. At least he hoped that meant that she was still here.  
  
  
  
Kneeling across from her father in the middle of a lavishly decorated tent, Ardeth tried to make sense of what was happening. The man had resorted to the idea of drawing pictures in the sand and Ardeth was now struggling to understand just what was happening. He had drawn a stick figure and pointed at Ardeth, then made another and pointed at himself. Drawing a third figure, he drew a line connecting Ardeth to the third figure. The old man looked at him as if questioning him whether he understood or not. Ardeth nodded. At least he thought he understood what the old man was implying. Moving over a couple of feet the old man drew what Ardeth assumed was a horse and drew a line from the third figure (Which Ardeth could only assume was his daughter) and himself to the horse, then from the horse a line stretching out for a while. Ardeth knew what the old man was trying to say and nodded to indicate that he understood. Smiling with satisfaction the old man put down the stick and called out. "Lily!"  
  
Although Ardeth didn't understand the language, he knew that this was his future wife's name and held his breath as he heard the tent flap in the back open after waiting a few tense moments. With the sun glinting behind her, lighting up different strands of her hair, making it gleam with light, in stepped one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life. She was gorgeous. She had chocolate brown hair and brown eyes. Her skin was tanned from the desert sun and her slim body was covered in a spectacular red outfit. Ardeth didn't even know how to describe it. It was two pieces. The top was a midriff that only covered what needed to be. The bottom part was very baggy, sheer pants. It was something many women of the desert wore; it kept them covered, but not too hot while they labored under the sun. While he had seen many women wearing similar outfits, he lacked the words to explain why she was different from anyone else.  
  
The woman entered and knelt before her father, touching her forehead to the floor. She said something in her native tongue and knelt beside her father. As she did so she threw a furtive glance at Ardeth. Ardeth felt his heart skip a beat, he went to gasp, but realized he was still holding his breath. Not wanting to look like a fool, he let out his breath as silently as he could. Her father said something to her, and in it Ardeth heard his name being said. He tried to contain his utter bewilderment. After her father finished speaking, she offered a small smile to him, and bowed again, though not as deeply as she did to her father. Ardeth counted his blessings; it appeared she had no problem with leaving. That is if her father told her she was going to be leaving.  
  
Ardeth couldn't stop looking at her. she was absolutely gorgeous. The red of her outfit fit her dark skin, and brought out her brown eyes and dark hair. He could still feel his heart beating rapidly beneath his ribs. Even so, he could not contain his relief. The women had teased him before he left about having a wife bigger than himself. But this. this specimen was absolutely perfect in his eyes.  
  
As custom in many villages, Ardeth slowly drew out the pendent and went to kneel closer to the woman across from him. As he did so she gave him a funny look, and looked to her father. Ardeth scowled as the father hid his face, pretending to be busy with something else while Ardeth leaned closer to her. While he did so she swallowed deeply and moved slightly away as though she was not expecting anything like this to happen. Ardeth reached forward to grab her necklace, and Lily started to say something. Again, Ardeth didn't know what she said but he didn't like her indignant tone or her father's reluctance to look at her. Pulling the necklace a little towards him, he pulled out his pendent and flipped over her golden pendent.  
  
Ardeth took a moment to study her necklace. Unlike his pendent, hers was gold. On the font was an olive green type color background; while on the top of the color was the brilliant gold sun. It looked like a star, but the gold gave it the identity of the sun; a symbol of Nut, Goddess of the sky. As Ardeth went to connect his pendent to the back of hers, she caught eye of what he was doing. Something happened then that scared him to death. She let out a blood curdling screech and fled, stumbling out of the tent. It seemed as though she had no idea what was going on until she'd seen the pendent in his hands. Ardeth threw a furious glance at her father who was now looking at him just as angrily. He didn't tell her she was getting married! He'd just introduced them to each other! Her father like wise pointed heatedly to the picture still etched in the sand. It was then in that split second of bewilderment that Ardeth understood; he literally had to take her. It was like kidnapping his wife! What a ludicrous idea. All the same however, he would not give up his only chance for a wife like her and a family and life with her.  
  
Scrambling to his feet he rushed out of the tent, whistling to his horse to come to him. As the black steed came rumbling towards him, he looked over to his side and caught sight of her running the way they came. He swung up onto his horse in a movement so fluid, so graceful, it seemed to exist only in dreams. Then with urgency in his movements he spurred the horse into a running gallop, easily catching up to the retreating Lily. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand that had come up while running, and yanked. She was much lighter than he had anticipated, so she was literally plucked out of the sand to land face to face with Ardeth as he thundered out of her village, his men following behind.  
  
She was bawling now, and struggling with the furry of a tiger in a trap. She was reaching desperately back toward her village as though wishing someone would grab her hand and pull her back to safety. She was crying out in her language with words so full of emotion, Ardeth had to fight the impulse to stop and let her go. Looking over his shoulder one last time he saw her father reaching towards her, with her people looking after them, some of them running to try and catch up the them; a futile effort, for in seconds, they were already plodding up the steep hill.  
  
Lilly was sitting uncomfortably in Ardeth's lap, facing him, but refusing to meet his eyes. He was sure it must be horrible to have to sit on a saddle that way, but he was unsure of how to remedy that at the moment. He didn't want to stop until they were far enough away from the village that she couldn't really run and get away before they found her again. as heartless as it sounds, he didn't want her to be able to leave him. She sat upon him, yet he could see her straining to refrain from touching him. Their eyes never made contact, but he could still see that they were puffy and red stained. Her chest was heaving from the effort of trying to stop crying and small hic-ups escaped her throat every now and again. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her hands were trying to lift herself off of the saddle -without touching him- trying to ease the discomfort of the position she was in. As sad as she looked, and as heartbreaking as it was to Ardeth, he could not help but feel relieved. It was over.  
  
"She fights with the furry of a tiger," said one of his comrades riding beside him. "You'll have to watch her until this is over." "Until what is over?" Ardeth asked; trying to hide the fact he had the pretense that he thought it was. "This! It's not over until you're married, my friend." His comrade laughed. "This is only the beginning!" Ardeth paled noticeably and looked at his future bride who was still avoiding his eyes. Just as he had thought he would be rid of the butterflies in his stomach, they appeared again just a strong as before.  
  
  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
A/N: Yay!!! I know this was kind of hurried so I'm really sorry about that! The next chapter will be a lot better, with more of Ardeth being a gentleman and. yeah, just being Ardeth! I promise its going to be better. Thank you sooooo much to everyone who reviewed, that really means a lot to me. Because you did I'm thinking of dedicating the next chapter to you guys. Let me know if that would be ok with you, k? ^_~. 


	3. Part 3

A/N: First off I want to apologize for taking so long to get this out. School got really busy, and then I got a new puppy! So, yeah; sorry. Second, *Cries* Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I feel so special! *hugs all reviewers* Thank you so much for reviewing, that really means a lot to me! As a thank you, I want to dedicate this to everyone who reviewed, you have been so sweet!! (Not to mention very helpful!) Thanks!! This chapter is for you guys! Deana: Thank you so much! You really have no idea what that means to me! Satiana: I know! What is her problem? If were her. *giggles* He'd WANT to get rid of me!! Mommints: Thank you for all of your help. I will try to keep those things in mind. ^_^. Stephanie: Thank you for that! I was hoping it wasn't too cliché. Ruse: Yeah, I would too!! Sydney: No, I didn't get your other one, but thank you for doing that!!  
  
**All standard disclaimers apply**  
  
  
  
Tiger Lily part 3 By: Venus  
  
Ardeth reined his horse to horse to a stop. Lily, who was still facing him, looked very uncomfortable and hot; a very bad combination. Now might be a good time to remedy that seeing as they were far enough away from her village that even if she did manage to get away, she would not get far before Ardeth found her again. The whole journey thus far had been made in silence. She seemed very upset and unwilling to look at him much less speak to him. She had hung her head and not even looked at him. He was sure she didn't even know what color hair he had. It was a bit discouraging to say the least. The black of his outfit was hot on him, and her added body heat didn't help him to feel all that great either.  
  
Ardeth took great care not to touch her too much as he shifted to get off of his horse. As he swung himself off, she slid to where he had been and he almost chuckled when he heard her let out a sigh of relief. He landed in the sand and reached up to help her down. She stared at his hand a moment as if thinking it might bite her then reluctantly took it. Ardeth couldn't help but marvel at her long legs as she swung over the saddle and he supporting much of her weight helped her down. It was then that he saw her steal a glance at him. As she landed next to him, her legs wobbling ever so slightly she stared hard at him. Unsure of what to do Ardeth just stared back at her. She looked as though she was almost going to cry again and she was swallowing deeply, making it look like she was trying to swallow her tears. Ardeth cleared his throat. He wanted to say something to her. Wanted to make her know he wasn't going to hurt her; that he just wanted to be with her. He wanted to comfort her in any way that he could. He knew that she probably wouldn't understand him, but he had to try, right? As soon as he opened his mouth however, she was staring at him even harder, her attention focused on the markings on his face. Disbelief lacing her words and showing on her face she said something to him. Ardeth felt foolish suddenly. He couldn't even pick out key words -or even root words- in whatever she had said. She knew this, seeing his bewildered face, and pointing hesitantly to his markings said softly a word Ardeth definitely knew.  
  
"Medjai?" She asked, her voice quivering. Her dark eyes held in them something Ardeth failed to even begin to describe. It was fear, but underneath it was something different, something he could not quite put his finger on. She stared hard at him and he felt his heart start to thump harder in his chest. She was so beautiful; what made him think he was worthy enough to deserve her? Realizing that he was leaving her hanging he curtly nodded. She swallowed and nodded slowly, a pained look on her delicate face. Turning around as if in a daze she stepped away from him and wandered a couple of yards away. He didn't dare run after her and risk frightening her when she didn't appear to be going anywhere in a big hurry.  
  
Ardeth watched her stop and look to the sky and move her arms out to her sides as if asking 'why me?' He let out a startled cry when she suddenly dropped like a sack of rocks into the sand, landing on her knees. No sooner than he registered that she was okay she dropped backward onto her back with her knees still beneath her. She let out a long, but barely audible groan. Had Ardeth not been worried that something was wrong; it would have been a very amusing sight to see. It looked like she had bent over backwards. Ardeth heard her mumbling slightly under her breath and then she let out a soft snort of laughter. She shook her head and brought her hands to her face. Something seemed terribly amusing to her. Ardeth could only make out one word that she was muttering again and again. "Medjai." She snorted with a contemptuous sounding laugh again. "Medjai!" She sighed and shook her head again, muttering what would sound like a sarcastic prayer. Ardeth slowly made his way over to her. As he approached he could see her staring unblinkingly at the sky above her, a pained looking smile paying upon her lips. Ardeth came to stand by her prone form lying undisturbed in the sand. Without a word, he unhooked his water gourd and offered it to her. She ignored the gourd and stared at him. Instantaneously she burst into a fit of tears. Still in all of her wailing he could only make out his clan name as she bawled unrestrained into her hands.  
  
Ardeth, unprepared for her outburst and unsure of what to do looked around wildly, unsure if he wanted help, or whether he wanted to make sure anyone saw or not. Anxiously he dropped to his knees and patted her shoulder awkwardly -anything to get her to quiet down. She paused in her tears and risked a glance at him. As soon as her eyes came to rest upon the tattoos on his face she turned onto her side and wept into the sand. Ardeth was worried perhaps she was trying to suffocate herself in the hot sand, but when he did not hear her howls being muffled, he knew she did not bury her face. "It's alright! I'm not going to hurt you!" He whispered urgently, feeling grossly inadequate to this arduous task that had been presented to him. Slowly she reached up a trembling hand and made a waving motion as if to shoo him away. Confused, Ardeth complied with her unspoken request and retreated back to his horse; his watchful eyes never leaving her for fear she might collapse or something.  
  
  
  
It seemed like hours before she even sat up off of the ground. Her hair was a mess and sand was sticking to the side of her exposed torso and arm. She was still making soft sniffling sounds and Ardeth thought it best to leave her alone for the time being. His men had badgered him on continuing onward, but stopped doing so when they always got the same reply of 'no.' Ardeth wanted her to finish her crying and get rid of whatever demon had possessed her before putting her on the same horse as himself again. It didn't seem like all that much time as passed as he sat there watching her, but soon his senses told him night was almost upon them.  
  
"We'll camp here for the night. Tomorrow we will finish the journey." Ardeth stated absently, unsure if anyone had even heard him. Some must have however, because his command was met with a few moans and groans of disapproval. Still, no one dared to oppose him. Lily still sat on the ground, but had now drawn her knees up to her chest. The daytime in the desert was excruciatingly hot while the nights proved to be very cold. Ardeth had not even thought of this until he saw her shiver and cross her arms in front of her. Getting up he brushed the dirt from his body and made his way over to her, unwrapping his head dressing and shoulder covering on the way. So silently he approached that she did not hear him, and he was rewarded with a jump from her as he lay his covering upon her shoulders. It was far too big for her, but it would do for now. She looked at him briefly then looked away, almost looking ashamed. She muttered what could only be a thank you, and scooted over; a subtle hint that did not go unnoticed by Ardeth. Slowly he sat, being sure to leave her enough personal space that she would not feel intimidated. She eyed him nervously, but did not move away.  
  
Behind them Ardeth's companions smiled and nudged at each other, each watching the scene unfold in front of them. It appeared the tigress had finally given in to what had happened. The sun was just beginning its decent into the horizon and it illuminated their forms against dazzling colors.  
  
Ardeth was about to get up and leave when she started to say something. He hadn't heard her voice except for screaming and crying and it was a nice change. It was soft, and her voice sounded like small twinkling bells. He didn't understand a word of it but he still considered it important that he stay and listen. It sounded like it was something she wanted to say, and something she wanted to say to him. He knew she knew that he couldn't understand, but she still said it, so he still listened. He didn't interrupt and only looked out into the sky. When she looked at him, he returned the gaze. When she was finished, he felt strangely uplifted, as though her voice had carried away his worry. He didn't understand her, but he knew that by just sitting and listening, he showed her respect that she would return to him.  
  
  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Yeah, took long enough, didn't it? Sorry about that! I really am. I just got really busy for a moment there. I hope you guys liked it and won't be too mad that I took so long. I'd like to thank others, who reviewed while I was writing this, I'm really grateful for your input. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I promise the next chapter will be longer, but I figured I would get this out so I wouldn't get death threats or anything. ^_~ Thanks again, and I hope you like it!!! 


	4. Part 4

A/N: Hello, Hello!! It's me and I'm back!! ^_^. Once again, thank you to you reviewers. You know who you are!!! *hugs* Thank you!!! So, I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and as promised, it will definitely be longer than the previous one!  
  
*All Standard Disclaimers apply*  
  
Tiger Lily: Part Four By: Venus  
  
The sun shone so bright Ardeth had to close his eyes every so often to keep the reflective sun at bay. He had given his head wrap to Lily who was all too grateful to receive it. They had started early and neither she nor Ardeth had slept at all. They were both too nervous: Lily in that she was still frightened, Ardeth in that he didn't want her to run off. The heat of the day was clearly getting to her though, because Ardeth could feel her body loosing some if its tension and her head was starting to loll as though she were dropping off to sleep. Her head actually looked as though it were disconnected the way that it bobbed to and fro with the movement of his horse, her hair swaying gently with the movement.  
  
He sighed and once again closed his eyes, reflections of her hair dancing in brilliant colors behind his eye lids. As he opened them again allowing the violently bright sun to invade his eyes he found himself wishing that he had his wrap. He wanted Lily to be comfortable, but this was starting to get very unpleasant. Hearing a call from behind him, Ardeth turned slightly to meet the glance of his men. It appeared they were hungry and wanted to take the break. Ardeth sighed and turned back ahead, tugging gently on the reins. He wished that they would keep going; they were only a few hours from the village. As they stopped, Lily seemed to perk back up and looked back to meet Ardeth's dark eyes. Her eyes shone with intelligence and relief at being able to stop. What was she so happy for? She wasn't the one with numb legs. Although Lily was lighter than he thought, sitting on a horse with her on his lap for hours at a time tended to leave the blood nowhere to go.  
  
Lily leaned forward to allow Ardeth to swing off of the horse first. A quite groan escaped his parched lips as his legs hit the sand, a dull ache starting up his legs as the blood was jostled into movement again. He reached both hands up to Lily, who still looked extremely nervous. Reluctantly, she allowed Ardeth to hook his hands onto her waist and help her down. Ardeth shivered as her thin fingers held onto his shoulders, and she slid gracefully off of his silver-studded saddle. She landed with equally unstable legs, letting out a small squeak of discomfort. Ardeth offered her a weak smile; one that she feebly returned. Ardeth was about to turn and guide her to the rest of the group when she tugged uncertainly at the black cloth covering his shoulders. Surprised, Ardeth turned to meet her tentative gaze. She shifted on her feet and kicked nervously at the sand. She clearly wanted something, but -it was hard to describe- it seemed as though she were too embarrassed to ask. Rocking impatiently, with her hand still on his robe, she pulled him close. Confused, Ardeth leaned down to her mouth, forgetting about his handicap of not being able to understand her. She whispered something urgently into his ear, and fidgeted with her hands. Ardeth just stared blankly at her. Whatever she wanted, she seemed to really need it. Ardeth tried as hard as he could to even catch some key words while she seemed to be coming close to tears. Fearing another outburst, Ardeth lifted his hands, trying to quite her before the cries came bursting out of her mouth. Getting frustrated even further she looked frantically about, looking for something.  
  
Ardeth didn't quite know what to do with her. He saw her look frantically around and she seemed desperate for whatever it was she wanted. Suddenly her face flushed a bright red and she pointed a shaking finger to a point just beyond his shoulder. Looking back saw at least two of his men urinating into the sand. He turned back to her, a small smile tugging at his lips. Her face was a deeper shade of red than the sand she stood on, and her hand was covering her eyes. 'Of course', Ardeth thought to himself. 'I should have known.'  
  
Ardeth looked around for something to offer her at least a little bit of privacy. And, as he knew, there was nothing but sand. Lot's and lot's of sand. Turning back to her, Ardeth tried to hide his look of amusement. What an impression for his future wife, huh? Lily sighed in exasperation and gave him a pained, pointed look. Ardeth nodded to show he understood then took her hand, leading her to the top of a hill. He pointed down and gave her a reassuring look. She just glared back at him like something had just spouted out of his forehead. Tension mounted as she continued to stare at him. What more did she want from him?  
  
"It's the best I could do." He said, trying to redeem himself even though she could understand him as well as he understood her, which was not at all. She shook her head, as if trying to shake the disbelief from her head and turned him around, pushing him in the opposite direction, huffing loudly as she did so. Ardeth looked back, unsure for some reason and she gave him a look that seemed to say "I'm a big girl." Ardeth couldn't help but allow the smile tugging at his lips to become a full blown smile. Sometimes the simplest things happened to be the funniest.  
  
As he wandered back to his horse, he could see one of the packs bulging. Wondering what he had forgotten he'd put in there he went to open it. Much to his delight, the shawl and face covering the women made for Lily came tumbling out of the clasped bag, its metal pieces clinking together. Ardeth handled it carefully and examined it. He was relieved that it was indeed too big for her.  
  
"Hey, Ardeth," Ardeth turned abruptly to his name being called. "Your wife's taking a run for it." Slowly, almost dreading what he would see he made his way over to the hill where he left her, and looked down the slope. Sure enough, Lily was plodding down the hill, her hair flying wildly behind her. She tripped once or twice in the deep sand and fell to the earth in a cloud of dust, but was up and running again in no time. Ardeth sighed deeply. This was beginning to become a lot more trouble than it was worth. He had hoped that whatever she said to him last night would mean the end of this, but apparently not. Ardeth took his time, cracking his neck, and removing heavy articles of clothes before he plunged down the hill, kicking up sand in his pursuit. Forget his horse; he could catch her on his own, and hopefully prove a point in the process.  
  
She looked back periodically, and Ardeth caught her wild gaze as he rushed after her. Either he was a lot faster than he thought, or she was a lot slower. He couldn't tell which. He presumed it was himself and the adrenaline coursing through his veins. As he neared her, she looked back and shouted at him, as if threatening him to stop chasing her. Ardeth continued to get close, but as he neared her, she must have put on some extra speed because from then on it seemed he could get no closer to her retreating form. Ardeth weighed his options, and after a second more pursuit and feeling his legs start to burn, he threw all of his weight at her. His hands caught her waist and his shoulder buried itself into her back, flinging them both into the sand, her startled shriek breaking the tense silence  
  
Ardeth stood, his hands locking her own in their grasp. She was coughing and cursing at him (At least it sounded like she was) and she decided then and there to not help him any. Stifling a sob, she went limp in his arms, attempting to keep him from taking her anywhere. Not to be outdone, Ardeth picked her up and unceremoniously draped her over his broad shoulder. As soon as she was there however, she decided to be even worse. She kicked out and started to scream. Ardeth was angry, but recognized the underlying emotion as well. Fear. He was afraid; afraid that for a moment there, he had almost lost her. Through their labored breathing, neither could say a word, but each of them wanted to give the other a piece of their mind; Ardeth could feel it.  
  
He hiked back up the hill, his wife draped over his shoulder. She had abandoned her efforts of being set loose and now held her chin in her hand disinterestedly, her elbow supporting her on his back. Reaching the hilltop, he dropped her with a thud onto the ground, a cloud of dust erupting where she landed. She didn't say anything, instead hung her head, refusing to allow her face to be seen. Ardeth had the suspicion that that she was crying and felt his anger ebb away to be replaced by sympathy. The poor thing didn't know where she was, where she was going, or even why she was being taken in the first place. He would have tried to explain it to her before, but what was the use? She wouldn't be able to understand anyway.  
  
The head wrapping that was intended for her was hanging from his belt where he had hastily shoved it before running after her. His tan, tattooed hands reached for his, which was still hanging from her slender form. She looked up as he began to pull it away from her. Her eyes held in them the pain that her soul must have felt. Ardeth sighed in resignation and finished pulling the thick black cloth from her thin shoulders. How could he possibly stay mad at something so misunderstood? Her brown eyes glimmered with even more tears as he unfolded her wrap, the pendants reflecting the overwhelming sun. Ardeth draped it around her shoulders and took her chin in his hand, forcing her teary eyes to look into his. "Enough." He said. She looked away and looking extremely guilty, pulled the sheer black material to a better position on her body. Ardeth walked away from her, somehow certain that she would not run again, but paused slightly when he heard her break out into sobs again.  
  
'I'm sorry.' He said to himself, but wishing somehow that she would understand. He didn't want this to be as painful for her as it was proving to be. Doubt was gnawing at his heart. He wanted to be married, to move on with his life; to have a beautiful wife like her, and kids. All his life he had thought that this day would never come, and now that it was here, it seemed that it was not worth all of the trouble. With Lily's sobs behind him, and the glaring sun in front of him, Ardeth walked further into the doubt which surrounded him. Hopefully this confusion would not last long.  
  
  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: OHHH!!! What will happen when they reach the Medjai village? Sorry, I'm just trying to keep you guys interested. Tell me if this is moving too fast, or too slow. I think maybe I'm dragging this on just a little bit longer than I should. Please review and tell me what you think. Also, I am open to suggestions as to what you guys would like to see it this story, ok? Please let me know what you think!! 


	5. Part 5

A/N: Oh gosh! I bet you thought I was dead! Well, maybe not. But I thought that I was dead! *grumbles* Stupid teachers. waaaayyy too many essays this month! NEway, I'm really sorry about the delay in this, I meant to update on Valentines, but then it was down and I didn't get the chance to update after that. So, here it is, longer so you won't be mad at me! (I'm sorry, gina!)  
Tiger Lily Part 5 By: Venus  
  
Ardeth didn't dare take his eyes off of her the whole night. After the incident earlier in the evening, he hadn't stopped watching her. The moonlight was brighter than it usually was for this time of year, and it was lighting the night as if it were a cloudy day. Its silvery rays illuminated Lily's form and made her outline stick out in a most fantastic way. She was crouched with her arms over her knees and her head resting on her arms. She looked truly depressed but at the moment Ardeth didn't care all that much. She'd caused him a decent amount of trouble since he had obtained her so he wasn't all that willing to feel bad for her.  
  
He saw her form heave up and down as she sighed deeply. He realized with a sudden start that she was crying. Compared to her outbursts this was nothing; he hadn't even realized she was crying. Ardeth watched with growing awe as a tear slid down from her eye to hang precariously on the end of her nose, glimmering in the moonlight before she wiped it away. Ardeth felt a sudden pang of guilt. He hadn't even attempted to understand the way that she felt. Here she was in unfamiliar territory, kidnapped and scared without knowing why or where she was. Ardeth growled at himself and balled his hand into a fist. It was her own fault for making it as painful as she was making it seem! Ardeth tried to remain firm in this resolution, but found him self crumbling under the image of her crying. Deep down he knew it wasn't true. She hadn't done anything but what anyone else would have done in her position.  
  
Sighing in resignation he stood and again wandered over to where she sat. As he approached her she looked back at him, knowing full well that he had been watching her. He offered her his water gourd which she took only after staring at it uncertainly for a moment. She muttered something and took a small sip from it. He knew that she could not understand what he was about to say to her, but he tried anyway.  
  
"We should reach the camp before tomorrow morning is over."  
  
She stared blankly at him for a moment, but then turned away from him, looking upon the mounds of sand. Under the moonlight, they looked like waves of silver, the wind sweeping small wisps of sand from the tops. It was dreamlike really, the contrast between night and day. In the day, the sand shimmered like gold, in the night, changing to the steely look of silver. When one took the time to notice, it was very beautiful. Ardeth took the opportunity to glance at her from the corner of his eyes.  
  
She was covered in the shawl that the village women had made for her but her face still glowed with radiance. Ardeth was suddenly reminded of a flower while he stared at her. A very fitting flower he thought; the night blooming Lily. In the day it was beautiful, but its true brilliance came out only at night. The moon had her face looking like he had only dreamed of. She truly was rare and beautiful; he couldn't let her go.  
  
Realizing that he was staring, he turned and left her to be on her own again. Part of him wanted to be as far away as possible from this possessed woman, but the other part wanted to hang on to her and never let go. He sighed and sat down at the fire again, picking up a scrap of food and throwing it into the fire. He wanted her for a wife; that he could not deny, but she had been very troublesome, and he didn't have time to deal only with her. There were other matters that were far more important. Ardeth growled and kicked impatiently at the sand beneath his feet. He was acting like a little boy, blushing and blundering at the prettiest girl he could see. She was not the only thing that he had to worry about. He had his tribe and his duties to worry about as well! Ardeth wondered briefly if he had made a mistake in collecting her, and then shook his head, clearing his thoughts. No, he had made the right decision. He wanted a wife, and just as much, he wanted a family; a son, and daughter, it didn't really matter so long as he got one.  
  
He pulled the pendant from his pocket and flipped the familiar shape in his hands over and over again. In no time at all, it would be on the back of her necklace, binding them to one another. He hoped that she wouldn't be so flamboyant when he got her to the camp. Ardeth looked at the pendant, its gold flashing as he flipped it, and felt his eyelids grow heavy. He looked at her again, and could now see that she was lying down in the sand, her lithe form covered by her shawl.  
  
When next Ardeth awoke, he panicked. He had fallen asleep! How could he have done such a foolish thing? The girl would be gone for sure! His blurred eyes moved this way and that, searching for the girl while trying to clear the sleep out of his eyes at the same time. His heart was beating mercilessly against his ribcage, though he didn't know why. If the girl was gone, he should count his blessings and leave her in the dessert to die. His eyes settled where she was last, but found nothing but disturbed sand. He shot up faster than a blink of an eye, and kicked most of his companions awake.  
  
"Where is she?" He barked, unsure as to why he was so mad. If the girl was gone it was his fault.  
  
All the men kind of sat up and blinked stupidly. The sun was not even beginning to peak over the horizon, but within minutes everyone in the camp was up and searching for the woman. Most were still so tired that they were checking in absurd places. Some checked behind horses while others kicked at the sand wondering if perhaps she had sunk into oblivion. Ardeth was shouting orders furiously and scouring the whole camp.  
  
Ardeth found that his fury was getting the best of him. 'If she wants to die in the desert that's fine with me; she'll be out of my life and out of my hair!' He thought angrily. As he marched through the sand he suddenly caught eye of something that made him feel foolish, but more than that, angry. Here she came, trudging up the hill, shawl hanging in her arms, as if nothing had happened. He felt his lip quiver with anger and forced him self to take many calming breaths. Most everyone else had seen her too, and was looking to see Ardeth's reaction. Never had Ardeth gotten so carried away in anything. Never.  
  
When she saw everyone's eyes on her, she shrunk visibly. She must have sense that she'd done something wrong. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what their leader would do. They hadn't seen him this angry since Imhotep was awaked. Ardeth could hear his haggard breathing and knew he was too angry to deal with her at the present moment. He didn't want to frighten her by making her think that he was always this mad. He shook his head slowly at her and turned on his heel, barking orders to clear the camp and get ready to go home.  
  
After the camp had been destroyed, Ardeth came striding over to where she was standing nervously. He didn't know where she'd gone, and he wanted to know. Using his hands, he tried to ask her. He moved his hands in a wide ark, indicating the land, pointed to her, and then pointed in the direction she had reappeared all the while saying, "Where did you go?"  
  
She only looked at him. He could almost see her brain working to understand. He saw her eyes brighten slightly when she thought she understood, and he felt the sarcastic side of himself ready for her answer.  
  
She shook her head lightly.  
  
Ardeth's eyebrows knit together. No? No what? No, she didn't go anywhere? But she did go somewhere, and she couldn't deny it. He closed his eyes, then repeated his movements, this time saying what he did slowly, almost like he had a speak impediment. Her face was just as confused as his, and he could tell she didn't like him talking to her like that when she said something to him, emphasizing each syllable like he did. He growled softly and looked up to the sky. How could be married to a woman he couldn't even understand? He heard her sigh, and she too looked around, as if daring someone to come out and help.  
  
He shook his head and waved his hands. "Never mind; never mind." He hung his head, and whistled for his horse; she was probably just going to the bathroom or something. With a half-hearted heave he mounted his horse and held his hand down for Lily to grab. She pouted unconsciously and Ardeth couldn't help but feel a smile tug at his lips, despite his melancholy mood. There was no doubt that Lily was not used to riding this often or this hard. Ardeth was sure her legs had to ache from all of this riding. It would be over soon enough though; they would reach camp within the next few hours. As she swung up, with a large amount of help from him, he couldn't help but feel better than he had been the last few days. It would all be over in a few hours.  
Lily had fallen asleep and her head lolled back and forth, swaying with the movement of the horse. It hadn't even been twenty-minutes when she started to drop off and she'd slept for nearly two hours. Ardeth couldn't blame her; they both just needed some sleep when they got to camp.  
  
She was leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder. Ardeth had his arms around her waist, one hand gripping the reins, the other curled protectively around her. Her hair smelled pleasant despite the hard journey and her rhythmic breathing was very calming to Ardeth.  
  
As the sun beat down upon them, Ardeth began to get more and more nervous the closer they came to the camp and he found his thoughts wandering back to Rick and Evellyn. They were happy with their marriage; and Alex. The kid was as annoying as a mosquito, but cute none the less. Ardeth's features brightened with a smile that was covered by his black face covering, but his eyes were still smiling with the memories. They were his friends. He wondered, with many an amused vision, what they would do or think if they found out he was getting married. Perhaps he would ask them to come.  
  
"Ardeth, why are you smiling?" asked one of his companions. Ardeth looked over to him and grinned behind his face covering.  
  
"Just thinking of old friends." He replied, shifting his weight as Lily stirred. He didn't want to wake her just yet. She was very beautiful when she slept (the few times he'd seen her) not to mention peaceful; something Ardeth had grown to appreciate over the last few days. However, seeing as camp was nearing, it was probably a good thing that she was beginning to wake up.  
  
"Are you excited?" His companion asked, nodding to the patch of black that was appearing on the horizon.  
  
"I suppose," he answered, not sure of his true feelings. "I hope that she's not as much trouble as she has been. I don't think I could handle that anymore than I have already!"  
  
His companion laughed, and nodded to Lily how was now fully awake. "Women are always trouble, Ardeth. I thought you would have figured that out by now!"  
  
Ardeth laughed with his companion, and switched his hands so that the hand that was holding Lily was now holding the reins and vice versa. "Women," he chuckled softly. "Like demons they are."  
  
His companion agreed with him. "They bewitch your mind and tempt your body." He responded, winking at Ardeth and reining his horse to walk evenly with his. They both laughed and Ardeth spotted Lily glance back at them through the corner of his eye. It was fortunate that she didn't know what they were saying.  
  
"You've got quite the woman there, Ardeth," he said, looking with sudden eagerness to the camp which was growing nearer all the time. "Take care of her."  
  
With that said he spurred his horse and began to gallop full speed to the camp. The others followed suit. Lily looked around bewildered and gasped slightly when Ardeth tightened his grip on her and he too joined the furious race to camp. It reminded him of what Rick would say; something about being last and rotten eggs. Ardeth never understood it, but Rick always said it when they were in a hurry to get somewhere. Ardeth's steed easily caught up with the rest and soon took the lead. They were so close to the camp he could hear the horns announcing their return. He couldn't help but grin; they were finally home, and this time, he had someone with him!  
  
To be continued.  
A/N: Ok, so how did you like it? It wasn't every funny, but I wasn't in a very funny mood, so.Yeah. Next chapter will be funnier, ok? Tell me what you think. And again, thank you to all reviewers!! You know who you are and how much that means to me!!! Thank you!!! 


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